In a world of abundance, more than 3 billion people — 40 percent of world population — lack adequate electricity to meet basic human needs.

The Western world takes for granted easy access to electricity, transportation and clean water. But nearly half the world’s 7.4 billion individuals live with limited or no access to these advantages. Many of these people survive drinking filthy water. Many must cook food indoors over open, wood-fueled flames, the noxious fumes destroying their health and that of their families. The world’s most flexible fuels, oil and natural gas, could provide these poor people with a step change in living conditions. But in some cases, those who might help have their hands tied.